2015 NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5 S VIN 1N4AL3AP7FC125356

The Nissan Altima 2.5 S described here left the factory in 2015. The drivetrain combines an automatic gearbox with front-wheel drive. Power comes from a 2.5-litre petrol engine with four cylinders.

The source data puts the mileage at 253,356 miles. The figure is in miles and needs converting before it is compared with kilometres: one mile is about 1.6 km. Averaged over the car’s age, the mileage works out well above the usual annual distance, and wear on the suspension, brakes and interior should be judged with that in mind. The number on the clock proves little by itself; earlier figures logged at services and inspections are what make it believable. Service invoices and inspection reports each carry a mileage figure, and lined up in order they show whether the clock tells the truth.

No damage type appears in the source data; that shows what was entered, not what the car has been through. Signs of an old repair – uneven panel gaps, overspray, a slight mismatch in paint – can still turn up at an inspection.

A ‘runs and drives’ note means the car moved under its own power when it was checked. A key was there when the car was checked. A condition note describes the car at one moment; months of standing or later work on the car can change the picture in either direction.

Title status in the record: clean. Such a title means no salvage, flood or similar mark was recorded against the car; it does not rule out damage repaired without a claim.

Every car builds up a history from the day it is first registered: owners come and go, inspections are passed or failed, and repairs are paid for. The paperwork is kept by different bodies – registries, workshops, insurance companies and lenders – so the history of one car is spread across many places. A clean, polished car can still hide a serious accident, a flood or years of hard use.

On a petrol engine, a rough idle, misfires or a warning light on the dashboard need looking into. The automatic gearbox should respond smoothly and without delay; jerks, slipping or hesitation on a test drive need investigating.

A VIN never contains the letters I, O or Q, which could be mistaken for digits; its 17 characters identify the maker, the model and the individual car. The record gives the VIN as 1N4AL3AP7FC125356. Scratches, fresh paint or a replaced plate around the VIN markings are warning signs in their own right.

A VIN report shows what has been logged: earlier registrations, odometer figures, damage entries, branded titles and theft checks, wherever such data exists. No report is complete: a repair done privately and never claimed on insurance leaves nothing to find. A VIN check and a physical inspection answer different questions: the first says what happened to the car, the second what condition it is in now. The history behind VIN 1N4AL3AP7FC125356 is the natural starting point before any decision about this Nissan Altima 2.5 S.